Nephew, Kobayan Qualify for SF6 World Cup; Twins Fulfill 2XKO Destiny Before Combo Breaker 2026

The fighting game community experienced a comparatively quiet period this week, a notable contrast to the intensity of Evo Japan, which could be ideal preparation for the immense Combo Breaker 2026 tournament scheduled for this coming weekend.

Nevertheless, the past weekend was not entirely uneventful; I will now detail the key moments, ranging from DreamHack Atlanta to Red Bull Knockout, for your review.

Covering everything from Alan “Nephew” Sun securing his spot in the Esports World Cup next to Kobayan, to the twin brothers, Toshi and Haru, achieving their destined status as 2XKO’s premier duo, here is a summary of last week’s events in the FGC!

The ongoing challenge for Team Liquid in securing FGC qualifications for the EWC persists, particularly as Nephew, an individual previously released by the organization earlier this year, successfully secured a spot in the Esports World Cup by finishing as a runner-up at DreamHack Atlanta 2026.

Nephew delivered an outstanding performance throughout the competition. He defeated the six-time EVO Champion Zeng “Xiao Hai” Zhuojun to advance to the winner’s bracket top eight, subsequently dominating his path to the grand finals. Meanwhile, Kobayan also had an exceptional tournament run, leading to an intense confrontation between these two formidable competitors in both the grand finals and the subsequent reset, extending to a decisive game five.

In the end, Kobayan emerged victorious, though Nephew undoubtedly found satisfaction in securing second place and a last-minute entry into the EWC.

In the preceding year, Team Liquid parted ways with Son “Qudans” Byeong-mun and Michael “Riddles” Kim, both of whom subsequently secured qualification for EWC 2025 soon after their departure. Presently, these two individuals are still striving to earn a spot in this year’s high-stakes, million-dollar competition.

Liquipedia reports that a total of 10 positions are still available for the Street Fighter 6 EWC 2026. This week, two of these will be distributed at Combo Breaker 2026, another two at Evo Vegas 2026, one at a currently undisclosed competition, and the final five at a last-chance qualifier event scheduled close to the primary tournament date. 

In the Tekken segment of DreamHack Atlanta 2026, Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique successfully secured his place at the EWC by achieving a third-place finish. Notably, Arslan Ash appears to be grappling with character selection issues in the current Tekken season, as evidenced by his alternating use of Nina, Anna, and Alisa during this competition.

The Tekken community is largely composed of players dedicated to specific characters, and many hold a disdain for those who frequently switch to whichever characters are dominant in a particular season.

Despite these challenges, he presented a formidable challenge to the eventual victor, Han “Mulgold” Jae-gyun in a five-game series. Mulgold, however, narrowly escaped Arslan Ash’s challenge and advanced to the grand final. Arslan Ash was subsequently defeated 0-3 by the Kazuya expert Takaba “Keisuke” Keisuke in the loser’s bracket. Mulgold and Keisuke both earned their EWC 2026 qualification through their strong showings at this tournament.

Following his tournament victory, Mulgold posted on Twitter, mentioning his reduced practice with Claudio due to the character’s season 3 nerfs. Yet, witnessing Hafiz Tanveer’s Claudio performance at Evo Japan 2026 rekindled his inspiration, prompting him to revert to the character. Hafiz Tanveer secured third place at Evo Japan 2026, falling to the renowned Tekken competitor Bae “Knee” Jae-Min.

Liquipedia indicates that 15 openings still remain for Tekken 8 in the EWC 2026. Entry positions will be distributed across various events, including Combo Breaker 2026, Evo 2026, SOOP Super Tournament 2026, The MIXUP 2026, and the Last Chance Qualifier.

Significantly, prominent Tekken figures like Yuta “Chikurin” Take, Daichi “Nobi” Nakayama, and Jeong “Rangchu” Hyeon-ho have not yet secured their EWC 2026 qualification. Should the perceived ‘Team Liquid Curse’ (or perhaps a hidden advantage) manifest, Marquis “Shadow20z” Jordan might find an opportunity to qualify for this EWC, given his earlier release from the team this year. The future remains uncertain.

Although Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8 feature numerous upcoming tournaments offering EWC 2026 invitations, Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves has only three such events remaining, with 12 available slots. Shoji “Fenritti” Sho secured an EWC invitation at DreamHack Atlanta 2026 by triumphing in the entire competition.

Fenritti claimed victory in the entire tournament without conceding a single set. His adversary in the grand finals was Daniel “Dany” Fuentes Garcia, whom he had previously relegated to the loser’s bracket during the competition. Alongside Fenritti, Luo “Vxbao” Yanxin, Kao “RB” Fu-pin, and Charalampros “H-DOPE” Lamprou were also awarded EWC invitations based on their tournament showings.

Via Twitter, the competitor conveyed his relief and excitement in a brief post, expressing that he could now relax having secured his EWC entry. For those keen to discover further EWC qualifiers, Combo Breaker 2026, Evo 2026, and the Last Chance Qualifier represent the concluding three events offering invitations to their top four finishers.

Should a participant among the top four already possess an invitation, that slot will then be offered to the subsequent highest-ranked player who has not yet received one.

This event undoubtedly stands as the most notable moment of the past weekend.

On May 16, 2026, Red Bull Knockout 2026 took place, featuring eight duos competing for the esteemed title of 2XKO’s top team! Remarkably, the real-life twin brothers, Haru and Toshi from Japan, emerged as the champions of the entire event! This marks the twins’ inaugural significant victory, after consistently underperforming in previous competitions they’d participated in.

During Evo Japan 2026, they were defeated by Ikura, placing 17th, and at Frosty Faustings XVIII, they fell to Dominique “SonicFox” McLean and Lenwood “INZEM” Arnold, finishing 25th. Nevertheless, in this latest competition, they appear to have overcome their previous struggles, ultimately claiming the title of the world’s premier 2XKO duo after triumphing over SonicFox and INZEM in the grand finals.

SonicFox commented on their defeat via Twitter, noting that extensive prior matches against the twins had led to an adaptation of their playstyle. He extended congratulations to the duo and expressed anticipation for a rematch at Evo Vegas.

Conversely, the twins expressed immense joy regarding their inaugural major international triumph. They also responded to SonicFox’s tweet, conveying their honor at being acknowledged as rivals by such a celebrated fighting game icon.

Haru delivered an astonishing performance throughout this event. His audacious Yasuo play generated significant discussion, particularly a grand final sequence where he boldly advanced on SonicFox’s Ahri, executing an unbuffered ultimate to counter a potential grab during the match’s closing seconds. This move represented the twins’ sole path to victory in that round, and Haru’s decisive action left the American duo vulnerable. Fighting game community icon Justin Wong, upon viewing the footage, suggested it warranted consideration for the Evo Awards’ Moment of the Year.

Following this victory, anticipation for the twins is certainly poised to escalate, given that they have just concluded their period without a major title. Could this mark the beginning of a truly dominant partnership in 2XKO? Only the future will reveal!

On Twitter, elite Street Fighter 6 competitor Adel “Big Bird” Anouche posted a message expressing his dissatisfaction with the scheduling of the Street Fighter 6 World Warrior online tournament within his Middle Eastern region.

He directed his query to Capcom and Qiddiya, questioning the decision to host the preliminary rounds on a single day, with the top eight finals occurring 11 days later. He contended that a two-week duration for the tournament was unwarranted. In a subsequent response, he intensified his criticism, asserting that “nothing is correct” about this season’s World Warrior. His frustration was compounded by the fact that preliminary matches were scheduled for 8 PM on an arbitrary weekday rather than a weekend.

The World Warrior comprises a set of online regional competitions organized by Capcom, where the top 50 participants accrue points. At the conclusion of the season, selected players will earn an invitation to the Capcom Cup based on their final leaderboard standing. While this format effectively highlights global talent, it appears Capcom may be experiencing organizational issues with its execution of the tournament in various regions.

It is imperative for Capcom to ensure the smooth operation of this tournament, as the concept of global travel and challenging formidable adversaries is a core tenet of the Street Fighter series. One cannot truly claim the title of the world’s most powerful combatant without engaging competitors from diverse geographical locations, can they?